Testimony submitted to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency {EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0602)

In support of U.S. EPA's Clean Power Rule Submitted by Amber Hewett, Newburyport, Massachusetts
July 29, 2014 Good afternoon. My name is Amber Hewett and Iworkforthe National Wildlife Federation's Northeast Climate Program. Ispeakto you today as an individual and a citizen, and particularly as a coastal New Englander. Ithankyou forthe opportunity to testify in support ofthe Clean Power Rule.
I live and work in the beautiful coastal city of Newburyport, Massachusetts, which has been home to my family forfourgenerations. Last year, Newburyport made national headline news as six houses toppled intothe Atlantic Ocean during one winter's set of coastal storms. And while it made for adramaticvideo clip, what is missing from that message is the rate atwhich we gotthere. When I look at photos of my parents and their parents enjoying the same beaches that Ifrequent now, I notice thatthe scenery is eerily consistent. It looks much like our beaches did for most of my childhood. But the past decade of photos tell a dramatically different story.
The same porch that I used to sit on to apply sun screen before crossing a boardwalk that bridged a hundred yards of healthy dune, rich with tall grasses, needed to be sawed from its house last winterso the approaching high tide would take it with a clean break, to avoid structural damage to the house itself. That house survived the winter, but is now neighbored by three empty lots, with no indication that itwill not leave the same footprint with the next Nor'Easter.
When I consideredhow Iwould allocate my few minutes ofyour attention today, Iwrote afirst draft of comments full ofthe statistics and forecasts Ioften use to underscore the importance ofdecreasing our reliance on carbon-polluting sources of energy. Butthen Ispoke to my friends and neighbors in Massachusetts who are newly and painfully aware that we live on the front lines of climate change and that many share our company- and Idecided to delivertheir most united message, because maybe you haven't heard thatyet today: On the North Shore of Massachusetts, we have made the shiftto responding to the impacts of climate change that are already upon us. Out of necessity, that is where we need to be. But that new reality and the results itwill produce in the coming years, need to be part of a much larger and more holistic package that must include the implementation ofastrengthened Clean Power Rule. With this rule and the national, regional, and local collaboration that will follow as its targets are broughtto fruition, we can know thatthe big picture is getting brighter. While coastal· populations of people and wildlife brace for and weatherthe storms ahead, we will be empowered to know thatwe are working within a large and concerted effortto learn from ourstories and build them into what will be a pivotal moment in changing the trajectory ofour energy path. So yes, Iam here out offearforthe problem we face, and what it means for coastal New England and all low-lying communities. I am here because climate change is the single greatestthreatto wildlife and their habitats. Iam here because present and future generations deserve the clean air and clean waterthat life
on this planet has to offer, and that we all benefit greatly from protecting in the immediate, near, andlong-term. Yes, my fury forthe challenge ofcombatting the effects ofdecades of unchecked carbon pollution steered me toward this line ofwork at a veryyoung age. But thefirst and foremost reason I am here today is my confidence in our ability to rise to the challenge ofclimate change by crafting and realizing avisionary and effective set ofsolutions. Not only because we have to, and because we are making constant progress, but because we have awealth of potential we have yet to harness in, for example, ourAtlantic offshore wind power capacity. Finally beginning totap the estimated 1,300 GW ofelectricity generation, in fortuitous proximityto some ofour largest East Coast markets- can carry many states toward and beyond theirstandards. An effective·power plant rule can attract game-changing demand to deserving clean energy solutions that will create local jobs, stabilize energy prices, enhance our nation's competitiveness, and yes, protectfuture generations from the dangerous impacts ofclimate change.
We can't afford to be anything but determined to reach the clean energy future we are entirely capable ofsecuring. I am grateful forthe opportunityto add my voice, and am inspired by many ofthe words I have heard today. I urge you, forthe sake ofcoastal New Englanders and for wildlife and future generations from coast to coast, to committo making this rule the best it can be, and to implement it swiftly.